Beautiful
by LunaRyuu
Summary: Four years after Malon's devastating marriage, she recieves a familiar visitor who brings her out of the slump she has been living in. OneShot Malink. Bad Summary!


Disclaimer: Me no own Zelda.

A/N: Hey guys! I know I should be working on High School or even Breath of a Dragon (sweatdrops) but I've had this sudden inspiration to write this. And also I am deeply appalled at the lack of good Malink fics at this site. Shame shame. Yeah so anyway, hope you enjoy it! It's a tadsy angsty, so let that be a warning. On with the fic!

Beautiful

It was a cold, cloudy evening when a figure in a long brown cloak came riding in on a majestic brown mare. The beautiful horse galloped with extreme precision and speed while the tumultuous winds tossed the rider's cloak wildly about. Tethering the horse within the confines of the warm and homely stable, the rider took three brisk strides and found himself at the door to the house. He knocked heavily on the door, anxious to get inside out of the biting cold.

The door swung open and there stood a lovely young woman in her early twenties in the doorway. Her flaming red hair billowed violently in the wind and her large turquoise eyes widened open recognition. She quickly ushered him in; the rider, having no complaints, quickly complied.

Inside the ranch house, was warm and comfy. A candle was lit on the table casting friendly shadows across the worn wooden walls and on the stove a kettle of tea was brewing. The weary rider removed his cloak and set it on the coat rack and made his way to the table, the young woman following close after.

They both sat at the small table, across from each other. And though they obviously hadn't seen each other in some time, no words were expressed for a few long moments. Finally, the woman could take no more of the unbearable silence. "It…it's so nice to see you, Link," she said, thoughts lingering on her final word.

Dark blue eyes met hers and the face that went along with them broke into a swoon-worthy smile. "It's good to see you too Malon," he replied. Her heart fluttered at the sound of his smooth deep voice and she hung on to his every word. Their eyes were locked for what seemed like years before she looked reluctantly away.

"So, how is the castle?" Malon asked, even though she didn't want to know in the slightest. Link shrugged, flashing her that heart-stopping smile of his. "Cold, dark, boring," he replied. He chuckled lightly and she faked a smile. The teakettle began to whistle and the young farmwoman quickly went to attend to it. She returned with two steaming cups for the both of them and settled back down in her seat.

Link took a sip of the tea and set the cup back down on the saucer that accompanied it. "It's…also been a bit lonely…" Link added, almost to himself. Malon raised her gaze to him, meeting his eyes, before she looked away again. Link cleared his throat. "So how are things here? Where's Galen?" Link asked conversationally.

Malon's fingers twitched of their own accord and she took in a deep shaky breath, trying to calm the raging cataracts of tears that threatened to surface. "He…he isn't here," she replied. Link, noting Malon's reaction, sensed that something was wrong.

"Malon?"

Malon shook her head, refusing to look him in the eyes. She refused to let him see her in this state of pitiful despair. Before either could speak, a soft voice spoke up, interrupting the tense moment.

"Mommy?"

Both Malon and Link looked up, Link in slight surprise, as a small boy came slowly down the steps rubbing his eyes sleepily. Both adults stood and Malon immediately rushed to the boy's side, even though there was obviously no apparent emergency.

The young woman placed her hands gently on the boy's shoulders and ushered him to stand before her. "Link, this is my son, Hayden," Malon said, with the first genuine smile she had shared with the blond man since he had entered her humble abode.

Link let out a soft exhale as he gazed over the boy. He sure was adorable. A mass of messy reddish-brown hair adorned his head and his face was accentuated by a pair of huge pale green eyes. His fist had found a resting place in his mouth and he stared up at Link with wide curious eyes.

"Hayden, this is Link. He's an old friend of mommy's," Malon told the boy gently. She pushed him toward Link gingerly. "Won't you say hi?" The boy barely budged, opting for staring at Link with his large inquisitive eyes. Link grinned and bent forward, resting his hands on his knees. "Hey there, little guy!" Link said with as much enthusiasm and pleasantness he could muster.

If it was even possible, the boy's eyes widened further and he took a step back. But with his mother's urgings, he finally raised a tiny hand and waved to him. Link laughed lightly at the cute gesture. "Say hi!" Malon whispered to her son and pressed her hand into his little back once more. "Come on!" she coaxed lightly.

Hayden, after seemingly much consideration, slowly pulled his hand out of his mouth. "Hi," he said softly, then immediately hid behind his mother's legs, as if Link had sprouted another head. Link laughed again, thoroughly amused by the small boy. "Alright, go back to bed, sweety. Link and Mommy need to catch up on old times," Malon said, guiding him to the stairs. Hayden seemed almost reluctant to leave as he continued to gawk at Link.

Malon laughed lightly when her son had finally retreated back upstairs. "I think he likes you. He hardly ever says hi to strangers," Malon told Link, who smiled in return. "He's a cute kid," Link agreed, smiling and returning with Malon to their seats at the table. "How old is he?" Malon took a sip of the quickly growing cold tea. "He just turned four," she replied.

It was silent between them for several more moments. They continued to drink their tea, even though they still had questions for each other, many questions. Link looked up, finally bringing himself to continue the conversation from where it had been interrupted, when Malon beat him to it.

"He's everything to me, Hayden," she said, a sad tone saturating her voice. A tear dripped down her cheek and splashed gracefully into her cup of tea. "He was my everything too…until he left me," she added bitterly, suddenly gripping the cup tightly enough to shatter it.

"Oh, Malon," Link moaned, sympathy in his eyes and motions as he gripped her trembling hand tightly in his larger and battle-worn one. She broke down then, no longer having the strength to contain the cascades of tears that begged for release. "Malon, Malon, Malon," Link murmured, now holding her in his arms. His voice was like a gentle mantra in her ears, calming her down just enough for her to stammer out her story.

"I loved Galen. I really did! And I believed he loved me too. But…but it turned out he didn't really love me. Nor did he ever care at all for me…or for Hayden. I could have stayed with him if he cared for Hayden, I really could! But I…but he…"

Malon sobbed into Link's tunic, unable to continue. "It's alright," he whispered soothingly, stroking her fiery red mane and kissing her forehead. "It's ok. I'm here now. You don't have to cry, I'm here."

Malon pulled away gently, looking ready to continue her story. "After Talon died, Galen fired Ingo. So I was alone except for my husband here at the ranch. At first it was ok," she took a moment to sniffle, "but then he became tyrannical, mistreating the horses and cows. When I confronted him, he…he…"

Malon shuddered violently, a wave of fresh new tears already wetting her cheeks. Link stroked her back and whispered soothingly to her once more until she had calmed enough to go on. "He beat me," she whispered, almost inaudibly. A wave of insurmountable rage swelled up inside of Link. _How dare he_?

"He beat me until I couldn't stand anymore and left me on the bedroom floor. He left and didn't return until the next day. I…I found out a few days later that I was pregnant, and I feared for my child's life. He…he didn't beat me again after I told him I was pregnant and he seemed to grow more and more distant everyday. Once Hayden was born, he was even more distant. He'd leave the ranch for days at a time and not return until late at night, smelling of heavy liquor. I…I couldn't stand for it much longer. I confronted him and asked him where he was going all these nights, and he…slapped me," Link's grip on Malon tightened, "and then, at that moment I decided that I wasn't going to take the abuse anymore."

Malon pulled back to look Link in the face. "We started screaming at each other, and…and Hayden woke up and started crying wildly, and…well, I told him if he didn't love me or Hayden then he should just leave and never come back." Malon sniffled and wiped away at her tears with the back of her hand. "And…he left. On that day, three years ago, Galen left and I never saw him again."

Malon smiled, despite the tears still streaming down her cheeks. "I'm glad. I believe it was best for the both of us, Hayden and I, that he left. He wasn't the best father, and certainly wasn't the greatest husband either." Malon glanced down, staring at Link's chest, moist from the tears she had cried. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Link shook his head. "No, Malon. There is nothing you need to apologize for. _Nothing_," Link replied firmly. Malon smiled sadly up at her. "I…it's been just me and Hayden since. We've been doing well, I suppose. We keep each other company." Malon laughed lightly, a sad laugh, but deep down it held a ringing quality to it. "That boy sure loves to talk!" she said.

Link couldn't bring himself to smile or laugh with her. "Malon…" he began, wiping away the tears from beneath her eyes with his thumb. "You are so strong."

The farmwoman stared up at Link in surprise, and then averted her gaze, her face twisting into a cynical expression. "I'm not strong. Maybe I used to be. Galen took away my very will to go on. If it weren't for Hayden, I would've… I would've…" Malon shook her head, deciding against continuing. She peered up at Link, playing with the collar of his forest green tunic. "I'm a coward. A worthless, fat, ugly…"

Had her lips not been swept up into a passionate kiss, Malon most likely would have continued the list of degrading remarks her former husband had labeled her with. She melted into the kiss, holding nothing back and allowing Link to explore her mouth while she ran her fingers through his silky soft hair, after all this was what she had wanted for so long, so long ago.

Link pulled abruptly away, an almost feverish look in his eyes. "You are _not_ ugly. You are _not_ fat. And you are certainly _not_ worthless," he said, punctuating each sentence. And before she could reply, he kissed her again. She willed herself to believe his words, and as she sank into the lovingness of his kiss, his words slowly became the only reality for her. The blonde hero pulled away once more, much to Malon's protest and swept her up in his arms and up to her bedroom.

He laid her gently on her bed and stared deeply into her eyes, clasping her left hand in his own. As she stared up at him, seeing no reason to speak, as words at this moment were such a trivial thing, she marveled at how handsome he was. How strong he was and how easily he could break her if he so wished to. But she knew Link would never do that. He would never intentionally harm her.

He was a gentle lover, very unlike Galen had been. It was a memorable night for the both of them. Malon had never felt more alive ever in her entire life. She sighed, turning to her new lover as he curled a fiery lock around his finger on his left hand. His dark blue eyes focused on her and with his right, he began to caress her cheek fondly, staring deeply into her eyes.

"Malon," he breathed, "you're so beautiful."

And in that moment, she truly believed she was.

The End.

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Awww! Wasn't that nice? Take that lack of Malink fics! You know, it's funny (not like you wanna hear me rant or anything) but I really like Malinks. But I always end up writing Zelinks for some odd reason. (Shrugs) Whatever. So tell me what you think of it. I liked writing this one.

LunaRyuu


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